19 March 2011

Growing Green(s)

We grew a small winter garden of mixed greens (turnip, mustard, collard) and spinach. It wasn't until after we had the "big snow" that the greens really took off, though. Here's a glimpse of the botanical explosion from when we harvested last weekend.

Michael clips greens from their bed. We harvested 5 gallons, and you can't even tell.

Close-up of one of the turnips. We were surprised they grew as large as they did underneath the mass of greenery.

A few of the turnip bulbs we pulled up before trimming off their tops. We did not fertilize these suckers at all. Nature was just that good to them.

Me with the mother of all turnips we harvested. Look at how healthy those green tops are!

Michael helping me wash and dry the 5 gallons of greens. It took a while, and they covered our entire kitchen counter.

We gave a lot of the greens away, but they were a great part of my birthday dinner when my mom came to visit earlier in the week. Here's a simple recipe for greens that does NOT require any boiling (which only drains their color and flavor anyway--this recipe brings out their color and flavor!):

Ingredients:

gallon of greens, washed and chopped

olive oil

white wine or white wine vinegar

red pepper flakes

sea salt and fresh-cracked pepper

Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Heat 2-3 tbsp olive oil in a large saute pan at a medium-medium hot temperature. When hot, add greens to the pan.

Sprinkle in red pepper flakes. Use a pair of tongs to turn greens in the oil as they wilt.

After the greens have wilted significantly, pour in 2-3 tbsp of white wine. Continue to turn with tongs. Add salt and pepper as desired.

Allow greens to cook to desired tenderness. Always turn so they don't burn.